Abstract: Two full-sib families of Litopenaeus vannamei were used to study the inheritance of allelic variation at 10 microsatellite loci. Of the 20 genotypic ratios observed (10 loci x 2 crosses), 17 ratios conformed to Mendelian segregation. When null alleles were considered, one loci (TUMXLv8.220) confirmed Mendelian expectations in all families. While one loci (TUMXLv3.1) showed deviation from family 06. Three loci （TUMXLv5.66，TUMXLv7.74，TUMXLv8.224）were monomorphic in both controlled crosses; 3 loci were polymorphic and confirmed to Mendelian ratios in all families, can be used for parental analysis and population genetic studies. These results indicated the need to test the inheritance pattern for microsatellite markers in shrimp before using them for population genetic or kinship analysis.